Partnerships to match artists with public spaces

Two new Arts & Science Council (ASC) projects will provide local and regional artists opportunities to contribute artwork for neighborhood and roadside settings.

The first opportunity is Neighborhoods in Creative pARTnership, a community-based initiative, in conjunction with the City of Charlotte and the Public Art Commission, to bring public at to more neighborhoods in the city.

The other is ArtPop, a program in which ASC is partnering with Adams Outdoor Advertising to provide artists the chance to display their art on local billboards.

“This really is a great way for local artists to gain broader exposure within the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community,” said ASC Vice President of Cultural & Community Investment Katherine Mooring.

Here’s an overview of how the programs work.

Neighborhoods in Creative pARTnership

What You Should Know: Neighborhood groups within Charlotte city limits can apply for public art projects specific to their neighborhoods. Priority will be given to groups representing areas without city-funded public artwork. Five projects of up to

‘Pieces of You,’ a piece of public artwork by Robert Winkler found in Charlotte’s Dilworth neighborhood. (Photo credit: www.charlotteoutdoorart.org)

$23,600 each – with a total funding of $118,000 – will be awarded based on a variety of criteria, such as neighborhood participation, geographic distribution, the strength of the project idea and the potential impact on community growth.

Role of Local Artists: Representatives from the neighborhoods chosen for the grants will work with the Public Art Commission to select local or regional artists to design and construct public artworks in those communities.

To Get Involved: Neighborhood groups can find applications, guidelines and selection criteria here. Applications are due by 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14. Guidelines and applications for local artists interested in being considered to create the public artworks will be posted on ArtsandScience.org soon.

ArtPop

What You Should Know: Individual artists from any discipline and who live or work in Mecklenburg County can apply at ArtsandScience.org beginning Friday, Oct. 11, to participate in the program. There are no guarantees on where selected artworks will be located; artworks can be placed anywhere in Adams Outdoor Advertising’s Charlotte coverage area and will rotate across available locations on a space available basis. ArtPop installations will begin the week of January 6, 2014, and selected artworks will be displayed throughout the year.

Local Artists Involvement: There is no cost for artists to apply for or participate in the program. Selected artists images will be reproduced on vinyl to fit available billboards. Twenty artists will be selected to participate in the program through a competitive submission and jurying process. Artists ranked among the top 15 submissions will automatically receive invitations to participate. The remaining 10 submissions will be put to a public vote on CharlotteCultureGuide.com from Nov. 25 to Dec. 1, with the top five vote-getters to be selected as the final five participants.

To Get Involved: An ArtPop Information Session with Adams Outdoor Advertising and ASC representatives will take place from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10, at McColl Center for Visual Art, 721 N. Tryon St., Charlotte. The deadline for all submissions is noon Friday, Nov. 1.